Brotherhood: A Test of Faith
by Anakinskywalkergo
Summary: Aboard a ship on route to Coruscant, Anakin falls ill; and while Obi-Wan fears for his partner's life, he finds himself realizing just how much his former apprentice means to him. Part of the Brotherhood collection, NOT slash. Read and Review.


_**Brotherhood is a collection of short stories telling of the adventures Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi endured during the Clone War.**_

**So, here's a Brotherhood fic for ya'll! :) So, there's an optional scene at the end. It's kind of sad, so I'd only read it if you don't mind a sad ending to this fiction. Warned you. Oh, there's also mild language - REALLY mild, don't worry.**

**I wanted a sick fic that wasn't too fluffy or cheesy? How'd I do? Please review after reading :)**

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It felt like he was being torn apart, little by little. Being yanked in different directions until he would finally just fall apart. It felt a bit more mental than physical, but even so, his body was in just as much pain.

He suddenly felt a strong, firm energy grasp him through the Force, trying to hold him together. Keep him from shattering. It was a familiar presence, though he couldn't quite place the identity in his memory. He felt so confused, and _very_ cold.

The warm presence was accompanied by the physical feeling of a gentle hand running a cool, wet cloth over his face and forehead. That got him frustrated. He was already freezing – whoever this person was, he was just making him colder than he already was. Feeling extremely weak, he raised his right hand and tried batting the unknown person away.

"No, Anakin." The voice wasn't angry; just very soothing and _so familiar_. "We need to keep your fever down."

"Fever? Wha—" His own voice sounded cracked and hoarse, but he couldn't just lie in confusion anymore. He forced his eyes open, only to discover his vision was just a jumble of blurred shapes and colors. "Where…what happened? Who…who…" _Blast_. He couldn't even speak one sentence without his energy being sapped.

He felt the comforting hand again, this time brushing his tangled brown hair out of his line of view – as if _that_ would help restore his sight. "Anakin, it's me. It's Obi-Wan. You're sick."

_Obi-Wan. Sick. Fever_. Except for his Master, he didn't remember the rest. "Master?"

"I'm right here, Anakin. You're going to be fine."

"Wha…what happened…"

The cloth came again, brushing his bare skin with what felt like ice cold water, but this time Anakin let him. If it was Obi-Wan, he knew he could trust him with whatever was the matter with him. "You were trying to repair the communications last night," Obi-Wan explained, his tone soft and low – which was a relief, because he was now aware of a massive migraine pulsing in the back of his head. "You had collapsed in the cockpit when I found you, so I had the med-scanner look at you. You have some kind of blood poisoning or something, Anakin. I have to get you back to Coruscant."

Anakin's mind, despite being a muddled mess, managed to hear the increasing worry in the older man's tone, as well as his own summary of the situation. Blood poisoning sounded serious, and of course, the Council had sent him and his former-Master-now-partner on their mission in the smallest ship he had ever seen. No doubt there was the minimum of medical supplies aboard, if any.

Obi-Wan felt the other Jedi's fear and confusion, and tried sending him a gentle sleep suggestion. "Don't worry, Anakin. You're going to be fine. Once we get you to Coruscant, the Healers will take care of you." He tried keeping his voice steady and confident.

He watched Anakin nod weakly, and then his glassy eyes slid shut, and the boy was asleep moments later.

Obi-Wan continued wiping Anakin's face, neck, and forehead with the small cloth and water he had found in the back of the ship. Once he was sure Anakin was asleep and unable to sense his emotions, Obi-Wan released his frantic anxiety into the Force, relieving himself of the apprehension and distress – at least for the moment. Obi-Wan had used the quickest, easiest way to describe Anakin's condition to him.

When they had been on Libreth, scouting the area for Separatists droids, they had stumbled upon a native village. The villagers had attacked, and with hundreds in numbers, the two Jedi had been forced to retreat back to their ship and go off-world. Anakin must've been hit by one of the toxic darts that had been shot at them – Obi-Wan had found it lodged in the younger man's shoulder blade after Anakin had passed out. It had been so tiny and inconspicuous, Obi-Wan doubted Anakin had even known he had been hit.

His greatest worry now was that the only supplies he had to treat Anakin with was a few bacta patches and a med-scanner. The scanner had done a wonderful telling Obi-Wan that Anakin was sick and needed medical attention, and the bacta patches were useless against the fever and poison. It killed the bearded Knight that all he had to treat his former apprentice with was the Force, and he was no healer; and it was still 24 hours before they would reach Coruscant.

_But I won't think like that. We've been through far worse before the war – we'll get through this_. Obi-Wan paused with using the cloth and went to just combing Anakin tousled locks away from his face. Anakin was only a few months into being a Knight, but he had let his hair grow out so that it was a nice, wavy shock of blonde-brown that ended at the nape of his neck. Obi-Wan fingered the sweat-soaked hair, grimacing whenever his hand touched Anakin's burning skin. "You're going to be fine," he murmured, even though he was pretty sure Anakin couldn't hear him. "You're going to be alright. I promise, Anakin. I'll take care of you…"

**:::::BROTHERHOOD: A TEST OF FAITH:::::**

10 hours 'till they reached Coruscant, and by now Obi-Wan was forcing down the panic. Anakin was tossing and turning on the bed, the fever finally robbing him of any sense of coherency he had earned before. In a desperate move, Obi-Wan had tried to med-scanner again, which had reassured Obi-Wan that Anakin was "sick and in need of immediate medical care". That had pushed the usually calm Jedi Knight into almost throwing the damn machine out into hyperspace.

Obi-Wan was exhausted as it was, but he felt he wouldn't sleep until Anakin was safely in the Halls of Healing. The older Jedi couldn't help but feel tangled up in his emotions, which was unbecoming of a Jedi. He almost felt like he had when Anakin had been sent on his first solo mission – Obi-Wan been _much_ too overprotective, worrying too much, pretty much harassing his apprentice into leaving the Jedi Order altogether. Over time, he had watched and learned that Anakin could handle himself against any odds, and he would never falter, never give in even once. To see the young man now so sick, on the brink of _dying_, because of some microscopic germ or toxin or whatever it was…it seemed unfair to Obi-Wan. For the first time in a long time, Obi-Wan himself doubting and angry with 'the Will of the Force', as he had always put it.

Attachment was forbidden to Jedi, because inevitably, it could lead to the dark side. But at the moment, Obi-Wan felt dangerously attached to Anakin and terribly anxious for his friend's survival.

He didn't know why it felt so awkward, so out of place. After all, it should've been natural for him to be worried – Anakin had once been his protégé, and was now his partner. But his concern was deeper, the fear more meaningful.

_Maybe the emotion isn't more meaningful. Maybe it's YOU_. The thought had crossed his mind several times, that maybe Anakin wasn't just his partner. They were so close, they had known each other for more than a decade. Their bond was deeper, more defined, more definite.

Obi-Wan had never known any family except for his spiritual father, Qui-Gon. Anakin had always said his Master was the "father he never had", but Obi-Wan felt something stronger between them now.

"Augh…" Anakin groaned again, and tossed onto his side, wincing and breathing hard. The young Knight began clutching the right shoulder, the one the poison had entered his body from, and began digging into it with his fingernails, crying out weakly.

"Anakin, no." Obi-Wan rushed over to him and pinned the boy's arms down to his side, firm but gently, almost lovingly. "Anakin, you'll hurt yourself."

Anakin stared at him with hazy eyes, and Obi-Wan knew the other man couldn't recognize him. "Let me go!" he rasped, voice dull and just barely audible.

"Anakin, it's me, Obi-Wan. I'm not going to hurt you…"

"Let go of me, damn it!"

Obi-Wan winced, but then reassured himself with the fact that Anakin wasn't fully in control of what he was saying or doing. It was the fever talking, not the boy he had trained and partnered with. "No, Anakin. Calm down. It's Obi-Wan."

"No!"

"Anakin." This time, Obi-Wan let his tone drop into a mere whisper. Slowly, making sure to keep hold on the younger Knight, Obi-Wan sat down on the side of the bed, leaning against the top so that he could hold Anakin not so roughly. He placed a hand on his friend's burning cheek, trying to send soothing waves of the Force to dull the heat a bit.

At the sudden physical touch, Anakin stopped fighting and locked eyes with his mentor. Obi-Wan was both shocked and relieved when he saw some recognition flicker beyond the fever. "Obi-Wan…" Anakin's voice was still extremely weak, but at least it sounded trusting instead of angry.

"I'm here, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied in a whisper, positioning himself so Anakin was barely in his arms. It seemed like the Anakin trusted him and felt secure in this position, so he remained that way. "We'll arrive at Coruscant soon, Anakin. Just hang in there."

Anakin made a low, whimpering sound, and Obi-Wan sent the other Knight another sleep suggesting to help take away the pain of the poison. He thought long and hard before he finally managed to choke out, "Go to sleep, little brother."

Anakin seemed surprised but mostly pleased with those words, and Obi-Wan was troubled when he couldn't tell whether or not it was because he was sick or because Anakin really did think of Obi-Wan as family. Either way, he took in the sleep suggestion with gratitude and slipped into sweet unconsciousness.

Obi-Wan remained where he was, staring at Anakin's feverish and limp body, and thought back to his own words. "Little brother" had seemed almost sweet on his lips. Less authoritative then "son" and more deep than just "friend". Certainly better than "partner" or "apprentice". No… "brother" had been perfect, fit in with exactly how Obi-Wan felt about his former Padawan. They didn't have to see eye to eye, or always get along. They just had to always be there for each other, and Obi-Wan knew he would keep that promise just as close to his heart as he had taken his Jedi vows; and he had a feeling Anakin would do the same, even if Obi-Wan hadn't returned the favor or feelings.

For the first time in his life, Obi-Wan Kenobi was willing to throw away the Code and the rules of the Jedi for the only family he had. And that family was Anakin Skywalker.

Obi-Wan felt himself join Anakin in sleep just as he finished his prayer for the Force. His prayer for Anakin's life.

**:::::BROTHERHOOD: A TEST OF FAITH:::::**

As soon as the shuttle touched down on the surface of Coruscant, outside the Jedi Temple, Obi-Wan was awake and calling desperately for the Jedi Healers. Anakin was unconscious and barely breathing by the time they got him into the Halls. Obi-Wan never left his side.

**(Several Days Later)**

Obi-Wan felt a smile light up his face as he saw Anakin slowly open his eyes, and then turn to him in weak confusion. "Where am I?"

"Halls of Healing," Obi-Wan told him, feeling utterly relieved Anakin had finally regained consciousness. "You were sick, remember?"

Anakin thought a moment, and then realization lit up his features. "Oh yea…the mission on Libreth…"

"You're fine now, don't worry. You got the Healers on time to stop the fever and stop the poison from causing any permanent damage."

Obi-Wan was even more relieved to see some of the playfulness and life return to Anakin's face as the younger man joked, "I owe you another one, it seems. What is it now? 4 to 5?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Anakin, I keep telling you – the destruction of the Death Ring over Naboo _does not count_."

A lopsided grin. "Whatever you say, Master."

A comfortable silence lapsed between the two before Anakin finally spoke up again. "Wanna know something weird?"

"What?"

The younger man thought for several seconds before saying slowly, "I knew I was sicker than you were telling me; and I figured it had something to do with those darts those natives kept shooting at us." Once he was sure Obi-Wan was paying attention, he added, "But the entire time, I actually wasn't worried. Because I knew I didn't have to…" His voice dropped very low, and he stared down at sheets of the cot. "…you were there, so I didn't worry."

Obi-Wan nodded very slowly at his friend's words, knowing what he meant. "You would do the same for me – I knew that."

"Wanna know something else weird?" This time, Anakin didn't even wait for the other man to respond. "I don't know if it was because of the fever or if it was reality, but I thought you…I don't know…I heard you say…" It was obvious whatever he was trying to say was hard to put into words.

But Obi-Wan already knew what he was trying to say, and moved over until he was sitting beside Anakin on the cot. He affectionately took his hand and smiled wanly. "I know, Anakin…and I'll always be here for you. I meant that before and I mean it now. I'll take care of you."

Obi-Wan saw a shimmer in Anakin's eyes, a light that had disappeared since the beginning of the war. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan smiled back at him, and then got up and walked towards the door. "I need to go talk to the Council about some issues involving the war and such, but I'll be back later."

Anakin nodded, and then spoke up quickly. "You know I'd do the same for you…I am the same as you…I mean…"

"I know, Anakin." Obi-Wan couldn't help but grin. This was why _he _was the Negotiator – Anakin wasn't exactly of silver tongue. But it was amusing to see him stammer, and Obi-Wan didn't mind at all. "Now go to sleep and get stronger, little brother. I'll be waiting for you."

**(End)**

**:::::Additional & Optional Scene:::::**

**(Three Years Later)**

"I hate you!"

"You were my brother, Anakin! I…I loved you!" _Force, Anakin, I loved you so much…_

That was when the tears came, pouring down his ashy cheeks. Anakin…no, _Vader_…merely glared at him with hateful eyes, his anger seething through the Force.

Anakin, his little brother, was gone, replaced by this loathing monster. Obi-Wan violently rubbed the tears out of his eyes. He remembered the first time he had ever called Anakin "brother", and that brought even more choked sobs. _I had loved you, Anakin. Now I've lost you. I've failed to protect you like I said I would. I let you go, even thought I had loved you. I'm so, so sorry, Ani…_

Obi-Wan turned and walked away, leaving his life as a Jedi, his past as a hero, and his memories of his younger brother all behind him as he boarded his ship and left Mustafar.

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**How'd you enjoy this? Wanna see more Brotherhood stories? **

**I'd really appreciate any reviews you have for me! Even if you have a suggestion for a Brotherhood fic, add that to the review! Just remember can't be TOO long (one chapter) and no slash. **

**:D**


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